Heart diseases cause nearly half of all deaths in the
United States every year -- twice as many as the deaths from
cancer. Emotions have a very direct relationship with our
heart. It is common knowledge that stress has a bad
influence. What is not so well known is the negative
influence of anger, and the lack of emotional support from
others in a person's life.

Today, we will look at anger. It has been studied through
psychological tests that people who carry high hostility in
their lives are more likely to have a heart attack and even
to die earlier from various other causes.

It was earlier believed that more Type A persons (driven
by work and achievement) had heart attacks compared to Type
B persons (relaxed and casual, the "laid back"). We now know
that being Type A or Type B does not matter; it is the
hostility that is responsible for increased heart attacks.

Moreover, anger is particularly bad for a person with
heart disease. The heart's pumping efficiency deteriorates
during the state of anger. A person is not punished for
angry heart; he is punished by angry heart.

Brian Tracey says that five minutes of an uncontrolled
angry outburst uses up as much energy as eight hours of
work. Muscles become weak with burning up of the sugar and
one "shakes" with anger.

Unlike other animals, we carry anger and hostility in our
hearts for a long time. Hostile people are also more likely
than others to have poor health habits, such as overeating,
smoking, and drinking alcohol to excess.

We know anger hurts us, yet it is very difficult to let
go of it. We may be so angry with someone that it doesn't
feel right to forgive and let them get away so easily. Yet,
letting go of your anger is the kindest thing you can do for
yourself.

Some times to help with anger:

If you are angry with yourself, keep saying to yourself
silently: "I love myself too much to be angry with me."

When angry thoughts keep coming to your mind about
others, see the graphic sign STOP in your mind’s eye and in
a soft and soothing voice, say to yourself silently, "STOP".

If you feel that someone is taking you for granted or
stepping on your toes, rather than seething and simmering
over it, learn to be assertive with that person. Being
assertive is different from being aggressive. Being
assertive is healthy. There are brief courses in
assertiveness skills.

When you are in a situation and that situation is making
you angry and you have to be in that situation, distract
yourself. For example, if you are in the line in the
supermarket and the line is really slow, instead of thinking
all those wonderful things you would like to do that cashier
or the person in front of you, pick up a magazine from the
rack and take it as an opportunity to catch up with all the
gossip of the sensational journalism.

Pretend that it is the last day of your life. Imagine if
it was the last day of your life and you knew it before
hand, would you still be angry and upset about petty things
and rash worlds? I bet you would be gracious and
magnanimous. You would make amends, forgive, and forget.

Managing anger is good for the heart and general health,
but it is not enough. Good medical care including regular
checks of blood pressure, cholesterol level, and other risk
factors are also necessary.